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January 5, 2014

Happy Blog Birthday!

2013 has been quite an eventful year for me. New blog, new hobbies, new job, new haircut. Life just keeps on changing and challenging, and I can't wait to meet what tomorrow brings!

Last January, I started writing this little blog as a dare to myself. As a creative person, I've always had a pile of projects. You know the type: crafts, decorations, and hobbies. But being busy with the rest of life, I struggled with giving myself permission to take the time to be creative. Sadly, that meant that I often rarely had time for a single project.

Creating a blog about my creative trial and errors gave me an excuse to give a little more importance to my hobbies and to allow myself to take time to play, to bake, to craft, and to just do all of the creative things I've always wanted to do!

Also as a writer, it's so important to keep writing. "A writer writes, always!" The act of putting pen to paper (or letters to screen) is like pumping blood through my veins. If I stop doing it, my writing heart will shrivel up.

Writing a blog has given me an excuse to share a story or tutorial on a regular basis and to practice writing for fun!

The blog has also allowed me to have a little fun learning (and relearning) some of the behind the scenes skills of blogging, like photography, illustration design, and html.

So, it's been quite a year of learning and improving and I want to thank all my friends, family, and readers for supporting, reading, and encouraging me along the way! Also, thank you to all of the great guest contributors and writers who have shared their projects and great renovations!

Looking back on 2013...

It's been a great year filled with some fantastic projects and experiences. Here are some of my favorite projects.

I loved this little upcycling project turning an vintage wooden frame into this lively memo board.

Armed with my limited sewing skills and a great tutorial to follow, I made this adorable Hobbes for my little nephews. Maybe some day, I'll be able to recreate Calvin to keep him company.

Maybe one of my more romantic projects for the year was this Celtic knot pillow shaped like a heart.

Of course, I shared a lot of baking and cooking adventures this year, but is it any surprise that my favorite projects involved the French macaron, my minor obsession? It took a lot of hours to compile all my notes and experience, but I created an in-depth tutorial for le mac and...

...a beginner's guide to share a few short cuts and cheats to give macarons a try. When I first saw French macarons online, I had never had the opportunity to taste one before, so my only option was to make my own. You don't have to buy all of the fancy gear and equipment if you just want to eat a macaron right NOW!

As I've mastered the basics of macarons, I've been able to play around more and more with the diverse flavors and looks of the cookie. One of my favorite original flavors was the Cadbury creme egg macaron, which even got the attention of Cadbury G+!

In addition to all of my favorite posts, I also wrote a few series, including the Myth or Miracle Cleaner series testing out Pinterest all natural or frugal tips for cleaning. The vinegar bath tub cleaner was a huge hit! I'll test out a few more cleaning tips this spring, so please message me with any tips you've always wanted to test out!

This blog has indeed been a wondrous reminder to me that all I need to create a new project or master a skill is to just start by giving it a try!

Thank you all for stopping by and encouraging me to keep on writing!

Linking at a few special parties showcasing the best of 2013! Some great projects and DIYs here:2013 Year in Review,